Catapult device



Jan. I, 1963 M. SPACIK 3,071,127

CATAPULT DEVICE Filed Dec. 14, 1961 PIC-3.5

INVENTOR. MAURICE SPACK AT RNEY United States Patent 3,971,127 CATA'FPULT DEVKCE Maurice pacit, 112 Longwood Ave, Brookline, Mass. Fiied Dec. 14, 1961, Ser. No. 152344 9 Claims. (U. T2 i17) This invention relates to catapult devices and more particularly to an improved projectile propelling device adapted to be hand-held.

Hand-held devices for propelling arrow-like projectiles are among the oldest known of mans mechanisms and have been used for centuries as both weapons and toys. Perhaps the best known is the archers bow which provides impetus to an arrow from the resiliency of the bow stave, as in the long-bow or the cross-bow. Equally well known is the sling-shot which usually is formed of a relatively rigid Y frame and includes a resilient string" connected to the arms of the V. In this latter device, the string provides the projecting force imposed upon the projectile. To achieve reasonable accuracy in the use of the bow, considerable practice is usually required; and almost invariably the bow stave is cumbersome and cannot be readily carried on ones person without some awkwardness. The sling-shot, while more compact in form, is more difficult to use in firing an arrow; usually the arrow body or fletching will momentarily engage a portion of the frame or string, causing a deflection and subsequent inaccuracy in the flight of the arrow.

Briefly, the present invention has as a principal object the provision of an improved catapult device for propelling arrows. This device is extremely compact and is capable of great accuracy in use with little training or practice. This object is realized by the provision of a device comprising a longitudinal body portion adapted to be held in one hand. One extremity of the body portion has connected thereto an elastic loop adapted to engage a portion of the arrow. Extending from the one extremity is a second elastic element which is considerably stiifer than the loop and is adapted to be deformed when the loop is drawn or elongated for firing. This combination of elements provides unexpected advantages in the accuracy obtainable in the use of the present invention.

Other elements and their novel coaction, as well as further objects and advantages of the present invention will in part be obvious and Will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the apparatus pos sessing the construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of a catapult device employing principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of selected elements of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view of a selected portion of the embodimerit of FIG. 2, showing the distortion of certain elements preparatory to firing;

FIG. 5 is another view of the elements of FIG. 4 during tiring; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a projectile particularly adapted for use with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 5.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an exemplary catapult device embodying the principles of the present invention and comprising an elongated, substantially rigid body portion and handle 20. Handle 20 is preferably shaped so as to be easily grasped at one end and is formed of a substantially rigid material such as wood, plastic, metal or the like. Attached to opposite extremities of the handle are means, such as shield or guard 22, for protecting the knuckles and fingers of the operator of the device from impact due to lashing about of an elastic portion of the invention following firing. Guard 22 may be a substantially rigid sheet, but for the sake of compactness in the embodiment shown is formed of a substantially flexible material such as leather or rubber sheeting. The guard is preferably so dimensioned along the longitudinal axis of a handle as to extend transversely a distance therefrom sufficient to allow the operator of the device to insert the fingers of his hand between the guard and handle when grasping the latter. The guard is alsodimensioned transversely of the longitudinal axis of the handle so as to extend substantially well across the fingers and knuckles of ones hand.

The invention includes an elastic loop 24 coupled adjacent one extremity of handle 23. Loop 24 is preferably formed of an elastically distortable material such as rubber or the like and is, in the form shown, a single strand having a substantially rectangular cross-section. Means, such as coupling element 26, are provided for coupling loop 24 to the extremity of handle 20 and for providing substantially increased accuracy in the operation of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there will be seen an exploded perspective view of elements including coupling element 26. A broken-away portion of handle 2% is shown, this portion including the extremity to which loop 24 is coupled. As will be seen, this extremity of handle 29 is tapered along the longitudinal axis of the handle to a somewhat rounded extremity 28. Extremity 28 is provided at the rounded end thereof with a slot 30, the slot being transverse of the handle axis and extending backwards from the rounded end of extremity 28 a short distance along the handle axis. The slot terminates at 31 somewhat beyond a cylindrical hole 32 having its axis transverse to the axis of the handle and parallel with the slot. Hole 32 extends completely through the handle so as to present an opening on each side thereof and is so dimensioned as to have a diameter substantially larger than the width of slot 3! Loop 24 is provided as a single rubber line or strand having a knot 34, or other similar enlargement, adjacent each end thereof, the smaller dimension of the cross-section of the strand constituting loop 24 being of approximately the same magnitude as the width of slot 30 so as to provide a snug fit therein. It will be seen that cylindrical hole 32 provides anchoring means for loop 24 inasmuch as knot 34 is adapted to engage hole 32 as being press-fit therein. The larger rectangular cross-sectional dimension of the strand coustituting loop 24 has a magnitude which is matched to approximately one half of the breadth of slot 30, i.e. the distance from side to side across handle 20. Thus, when knot 3 adjacent one end of the strand of loop 24 is inserted into one end of hole 32, and the corresponding knot adjacent the other extremity of the strand is inserted in the opposite end of hole 32, the two portions of the strand extending out to form loop 24- can lie side by side snugly fitted within slot 3t and extend outwardly from rounded extremity 28 substantially along the axis of the handle. It is apparent that with this type of ar rangement, the replacement of loops of various lengths and elasticities as well as broken loops is facilitated. Further, the invention requires no special form of loop, but may be provided with only a single strand.

Coupling element 26 is a substantially cylindrical element having an internal diameter slightly less than the maximum transverse dimension of handle 20 at hole 32. Element 26, further, is preferably formed of an elastic material, such as rubber or the like; the materials out of which element 26 and loop 24 are formed are such that the force which will restore element 26 to its original configuration following distortion is much greater, i.e. by a factor of at least 2, then the force due to the inherent resiliency of loop 24 which acts to restore it to its original configuration following release of the distorting force thereon. This disparity in the elasticity of springiness of element 26 and loop 24 is of extreme importance in the proper functioning of the invention and can be provided by the shape and dimension of the element and loop as well as by the substance. In the form shown, element 26 is provided at one end thereof with a pair of slits 36 therein in opposite side Walls. Element 26 is adapted to encase extremity 28 and provide a tight enclosure about that extremity of the handle so as to releasably retain knots 34 in hole 32 and the side by side portions of loop 24 in slot 30. Of course, element 26 may be removed simply by sliding the latter along the longitudinal axis of handle 26 and off of extremity 28. When in operative relation to handle 20, element 26 is so disposed that each of slits 36 parallels a corresponding edge of slot 39. Element 26 is dimensioned along its cylindrical axis such that when engaged in retaining knots 34 and loop 24 in proper relation to handle 29, the slotted extremity of element 26 extends a short distance passed the terminal end of extremity 28. This relation is shown by the dotted lines in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 which outline the relation of extremity 23 with respect to element 26.

The construction thus described lends itself readily to the provision of a simple sighting device, such as sight 40. In the form shown, the latter is a wire frame made, for instance, of a substantially rigid material such as steel. The frame is formed to include a portion 41 in the shape of a block-U. The frame also includes a pair of substantially co-linear arms 42 attached respectively to the extremities of the arms of the U-shaped portion, and extending outwardly therefrom in directions opposite to one another so as to lie substantially in the plane of portion 41. Attached to the respective opposite extremities of arms 42 are a pair of co-planar prongs 44 which extend in the same direction as one another and in a plane normal to the plane of portion 41. It will be seen that each arm 42 and prong 44 forms an L-shaped element attached at the extremity of its base to the ends of the arms of the U-shape of portion 41. The width of the U-shape of portion 41 is substantially that of the exterior diameter of element 26. This sight is adapted to be placed so that the straight shank or central section of portion 41 is inserted completely at end 31 of slot 36 before knots 34 are inserted in hole 32. The plane of U-shaped portion 41 is adapted to be positioned parallel to the longitudinal axis of handle 20. When element 26 is emplaced to encase extremity 28, it fits into the U-shape of portion 41 and engages the latter to retain it in its parallel relationship with the handle axis. Thus, it will be seen that when the sight is operationally positioned arms 42 extend perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of handle 20 and parallel to the plane of slot 30, while prongs 34 therefore are directed along the initial line of flight of the projectile perpendicular to both the handle aXis and the plane of slot 30.

In operation, the handle is grasped firmly by the operator in one hand such that the operators knuckles and fingers are substantially inserted between a handle and guard 22. The operator places an arrow or similar elongated projectile into the bight of loop 24 in engagement therewith. Drawing back the arrow so as to stress the loop, the latter is extended through elastic distortion when the handle is held relatively immobile with its longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to the direction of the distorting force exerted on the loop. As the operator continues to draw back the arrow, exerting more distort- 4 ing force on the loop, the portion of the loop extending out of slot 30 engages rim portion 46 of element 26. Because the cylindrical axis of element 25 is approximately normal to the direction of the distortion force acting on loop 24, the distorting force will also cause distortion of the end portion of element 26. This distortion preparatory to firing may be seen in FIG. 4, the direction of the distorting force on loop 24 and on element 26 being indicated by the large broken line and arrow point.

This direction can be readily visually aligned with the direction of prongs 44 of sight 40 to insure accuracy in launching the projectile.

Upon sudden release of the distorting force by the operator, loop 24 tends to restore itself to its original configuration by motion in the direction opposite to that of the distorting force previously applied thereto. The flight of a projectile would normally consequently be in this same direction and along the same line, and result in the projectile at least occasionally glancing off of extremity 23 of handle 29, destroying the integrity of the flight path. However, as will be seen (somewhat exaggerated for the sake of clarity) in FIG. 5, because of the disparity of the elasticities of element 26 and loop 24, the release of distorting force by the operator, causes element to restore itself to its original configuration at a substantially greater speed than loop 24. This spring-like action of a portion of element 26 causes a part of loop 24, adjacent to element 26, to be thrown with an additional force and effectively shifts the line of motion of loop 24 to a path approximately parallel to the direction of the original distorting force on loop 24- but displaced outwardly from extremity 23 of handle 20. Any projectile now following this flight path will not engage any portion of either handle 26 and element 26.

In order to insure that no portion of the projectile inadvertently engages the catapult device during firing, a preferred embodiment of a projectile particularly adapted with the catapult device of the invention is shown in FIG. 6. This projectile or arrow generally comprises an elongated body portion or shaft 59 which is preferably cylindrical and has a straight cylindrical axis. One eX tremity of the arrow is fletched with only two vanes 52 extending perpendicularly to the long axis of shaft 56 on opposite sides thereof. Vanes 52 may be formed of feathers or even relatively inflexible material such as plastic inasmuch as they need not be deformable. The opposite extremity of shaft 50 is provided with a tip or point which is weighted to give the arrow dynamic balance and may take any of the normal arrow point forms and may be made of any of the normal arrow materials. At an intermediate position between its extremities, preferably closer to the position of the arrow point, the shaft has at least two preferably transverse proections 4-6 thereon which may be formed as an integral portion of the shaft and are adapted to engage the bight of loop 24. These projections are preferably disposed upon opposite sides of the shaft in an axial plane substantially perpendicular to the axial plane formed by the opposed feathers 52. This insures that upon firing, the plane of the feathers is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of handle 20 and the feathers will not come into engagement with the latter.

The present device finds utility as a toy, but because of its compactness, is readily concealable. Hence, with appropriate elastic strengths and arrow types, the present invention is particularly well adapted for use as a highly eflicient completely portable, virtually silent Weapon for use by armed forces on raiding missions and the like because its operation is relatively unaifected by weather, dirt, or water.

Since certain changes may be made in the above apparatus Without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying rawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A catapult device comprising in combination:

a substantially rigid elongated body portion,

a distortable elastic loop attached to .one end of said body portion,

means coupled adjacent said one end and being elastically distortable by engagement with said loop when the latter is distorted in a direction non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of said body portion,

said means and said loop being so formed that the inherent resilient force tending to restore said means to its original configuration following distortion thereof is substantially greater than the inherent resilient force tending to restore said loop to its original configuration following distortion of said loop.

. A catapult device comprising in combination:

substantially rigid elongated body portion adapted to be handheld, said body having a slot across an extremity thereof, said slot having an enlarged space intermediate to its end disposed transversely of the longitudinal axis of said body portion, distortable elongated elastic element having an enlarged portion adjacent each extremity thereof, said enlarged portions being dimensioned to fit within said enlarged space in said slot, the sections of said element between said enlarged portions and adjacent thereto being dimensioned to fit in side-by-side relation within said slot so as to extend outwardly thereof along the longitudinal axis of said body, said elastic element being thus positioned with said enlarged portions in said enlarged space and said sections within said slot,

means attached adjacent said extremity of said body portion and being elastically distortable by engagement with said elastic element when the latter is distorted in a direction non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of said body portion,

said means and said elastic element being so formed that when said means is attached and said element thus positioned with respect to said extremity of said body, the inherent resilient force tending to restore said means to its original configuration following distortion thereof is substantially greater than the inherent resilient force tending to restore said element to its original configuration following distortion of said element.

3. A catapult device as defined in claim 2 including:

a substantially sheet-like guard means so having opposite edge portions thereof attached adjacent to opposite extremities of said body portion that a portion of said guard means is displaced laterally from said body portion for allowing a hand to be inserted between said guard means and said body portion.

4. A catapult device as defined in claim 2 wherein said means attached adjacent said extremity of said body portion comprises:

means for coupling said elastic element to said body portion by releasably retaining said enlarged portions of said elastic element in said enlarged space and said sections of said element in said slot.

5. A catapult device as defined in claim 2 including:

sighting means projecting from said body portion adjacent said extremity for defining a sighting plane substantially perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis of said body portion and the plane of said slot.

6. A catapult device as defined in claim 2 wherein said means attached adjacent said extremity of said body comprises:

a hollow cylindrical element having a pair of opposed transverse slits at one open end thereof. said cylindrical element being disposed about said extremity of said body portion so that said end of said cylindrical element projects beyond said extremity and said slits are substantially parallel with said slot.

7. A catapult device as defined in claim 6 wherein said cylindrical element has an internal dimension slightly less than the cross section dimension of said body portion adjacent it at said extremity.

8. A catapult device comprising in combination:

a substantially rigid elongated body portion,

a distortable elastic loop attached to one end of said body portion,

means coupled adjacent said one end and being elastically distortable by engagement with said loop when the latter is distorted in a direction non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of said body portion,

said means and said loop being so formed that the inherent resilient force tending to restore said means to its original configuration following distortion thereof is greater by a factor of at least two than the inherent resilient force tending to restore said loop to its original configuration following distortion of said loop.

9. A catapult device comprising in combination:

an elongated substantially cylindrical substantially rigid handle, said handle having a medial slot extending transversely thereof, said slot including intermediate its ends an enlarged substantially cylindrical space also extending transversely of said handle,

a distortable elongated elastic element having a cross section of substantially fixed dimension when undistorted, and having an enlarged portion adjacent each extremity of said element, said enlarged portions being disposed in and in engagement with said enlarged space, the sections of said element between said enlarged portions and adjacent thereto being disposed in side'to-side relation within said slot so as to extend outwardly thereof along the longitudinal axis of said body, the remainder of said element between said sections forming a loop,

a hollow cylindrical element having a pair of medially opposed slits at one end thereof and being disposed in engagement with and about said extremity of said handle so that said one end projects beyond said extremity and said slits are substantially parallel to said slot, at least said one end being elastically distortable by engagement with said elastic element when the latter is distorted in a direction non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of said handle,

said cylindrical element and said loop being so formed that the inherent resilient force tending to restore said cylindrical element to its original configuration following distortion thereof is substantially greater than the inherent resilient force tending to restore said loop to its original configuration following distortion of the latter, and tends to bring a portion of.

said loop adjacent said extremity into approximate parallel alignment with the longitudinal axis of said handle before said loop can return to its original configuration.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 483,261 Italy July 23, 1953 503,722 Italy Dec. 7, 1954 628,041 Great Britain Aug. 22, 1949 

1. A CATAPULT DEVICE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID ELONGATED BODY PORTION, A DISTORTABLE ELASTIC LOOP ATTACHED TO ONE END OF SAID BODY PORTION, MEANS COUPLED ADJACENT SAID ONE END AND BEING ELASTICALLY DISTORTABLE BY ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LOOP WHEN THE LATTER IS DISTORTED IN A DIRECTION NON-PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID BODY PORTION, SAID MEANS AND SAID LOOP BEING SO FORMED THAT THE INHERENT RESILIENT FORCE TENDING TO RESTORE SAID MEANS TO ITS ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION FOLLOWING DISTORTION THEREOF IS SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE INHERENT RESILIENT FORCE TENDING TO RESTORE SAID LOOP TO ITS ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION FOLLOWING DISTORTION OF SAID LOOP. 